Clarion County commissioners on Tuesday announced a tentative settlement with the union representing the corrections officers at the Clarion County Jail.
The agreement with the United Mine Workers of America will be retroactive starting Jan. 1, 2019, through Dec. 31, 2021.
Commissioner Ted Tharan said the union members have already approved the new pact. The commissioners are expected to adopt the agreement at their business meeting next week.
On Jan. 1, 2018, the county reached a three-year agreement with the United Mine Workers (UMW) who represents Probation employees. That contract expires Dec. 30, 2021.
Two contracts are still under negotiations. The sheriff’s deputies are represented by Butler County Community College Police Department and the court related employees are represented by the Teamsters.
The commissioners also discussed the lack of progress in selecting new voting machines for the county.
Following the fallout from the 2016 presidential campaign, Pennsylvania agreed to install new voting machines that will have a voter verifiable paper trail. The Department of State wants to have the new machines in place for the Primary Election in 2020.
There are 40 precincts in Clarion County and, currently, that requires 130 voting machines. Those machines do not produce a paper trail and will need to be replaced. In addition the county could be required to place a vote tabulation machine in each precinct or, at the very least, a central tabulation system.
The Wolf administration has indicated it will seek state funding for at least 50 percent of the cost of new systems, or about $75 million of an estimated $150 million statewide cost. The funding would be in addition to federal funds of $14.15 million already available to the counties.
The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (CCAP) noted that every dollar that does not come from federal or state funding would be a local property tax dollar. Replacement costs can quickly add up depending on which equipment each county chooses.
The latest computerized machines cost between $2,500 and $3,000 each, plus central counting systems, supplies, programming and maintenance agreements.